Anchalya Balasubramaniam, a PhD candidate in the Cells and Systems Biology program at U of T, is studying how climate change affects stress tolerance in boreal forests, looking for ways to improve trees’ carbon uptake. Abdul-Salam Ibrahim, pursuing his PhD in the Department of Geography and Planning, is researching community-driven approaches to building climate resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa. Adele Furman, who is completing her BSc in the Biodiversity and Conservation Biology program, is examining how integrating recycled materials into building roofs affects light reflection, temperature, water retention and other factors. Yaolin Wang, as part of her studies toward a BSc in Chemisty, is investigating photocatalytic materials that could lower the cost of producing green hydrogen using water and solar energy.
These are just a few of the early-career researchers recognized by the inaugural Lawson Climate and Sustainability Awards. Designed to encourage future climate change leaders, the awards are a vital dimension of the new Lawson Climate Institute, created with generous support from Brian and Joannah Lawson. The first awardees are part of a growing network of Lawson Scholars – more than 100 graduate and undergraduate students annually who will receive support for sustainability-related learning and research.
“This is an opportunity for students in all disciplines to gain the tools they need to develop climate solutions,” says David Sinton, interim director of the Lawson Climate Institute. “The Lawson Scholars are a key part of our commitment to advancing the capabilities and policies required to drive the energy transition and support Canada and the world in addressing and mitigating the effects of climate change. These students are being equipped with the trifecta – deep disciplinary knowledge, research skill and a broad understanding of global systems – that’s needed for impactful careers whose productive decades will correspond to the most critical period for energy transition.”
Hope for the future
Announced in April 2025, the Lawson Climate Institute was established with a $60 million gift from Brian and Joannah Lawson – the largest-ever donation to a Canadian university in support of climate action. The gift includes a matching component that has already inspired over $3 million in further support for climate and sustainability awards.
To accelerate solutions that are practical, scalable and equitable, the Institute is mobilizing the expertise and innovative thinking that have kept U of T in first or second place in the QS World University Rankings for sustainability over the past four years. In addition to the Lawson Scholars program, focus areas include harnessing sustainability-related research and partnerships across U of T; advancing climate policy and sustainable finance; making sustainability studies available to all undergraduate students; and encouraging collaboration among students, faculty and industry partners on sustainability initiatives that will transform the university’s three campuses.
For Brian and Joannah Lawson, this latest gift builds their alma mater: “U of T’s established leadership in sustainability will enable the Lawson Climate Institute to access an abundance of climate-focused talent, research and innovation. We realized we could make a profound difference with this donation by helping to bring together the wide range of climate research throughout U of T to achieve even greater impact. Tackling the climate crisis requires urgent action by all of us, and we encourage others to join us in creating hope for a healthier future.”
The Lawson Scholars program is funded by an endowed gift to ensure it will continue for decades to come. Financial assistance to students, mainly through scholarships and bursaries, accounts for the largest share of the total annual payout from Endowment funds. For U of T’s fiscal year ending April 30, 2025, about $1.7 billion – representing 43% of the total $3.9 billion in endowments – was directed to student support.*
* The “Endowment portfolio” managed by UTAM – also called the Long- Term Capital Appreciation Pool – comprises the university’s endowment funds plus other investment assets. As of April 30, 2025, U of T’s fiscal year-end, the total value of the Endowment portfolio was $4.8 billion, including $3.9 billion of endowment funds plus $0.9 billion of other long-term assets. (At UTAM’s year-end – December 31, 2025 – the Endowment portfolio was valued at $5.4 billion.)
